Are Covid-19 vaccines going to waste?

February 2021 | Reading time: 2 minutes

There have been reports that Covid-19 vaccines have been going to waste on a daily basis. While this is technically true, it is a very small number of vaccines and unfortunately, it is sometimes unavoidable.

Why are vaccines being wasted?

As you may already be aware, the Covid-19 vaccines need to be stored at low temperatures, particularly the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Each vile contains up to 11 doses. Once a vial has been opened, it needs to be used on that day.

Appointments for vaccinations are structured to avoid wastage, but inevitably there will be people who are unable to attend their appointment. In theory, a vile may need to be opened to vaccinate the last patient of the day, meaning that 10 doses are wasted.  In reality, that’s a worst-case scenario and there are also additional systems in place to utilise the remaining doses.

In some facilities, doctors and nurses are able to nominate friends and family to be added to a list of people who will be contacted on short notice to come for a vaccination at the end of a day when there are doses remaining in a vile.

According to one nurse, despite administering hundreds of doses per day, the site at which she works has yet to dispose of a single dose.

A London property firm recently got themselves into hot water by offering £5000 per spare vaccine to a Bristol GPs surgery. Allegedly this request was sent to around 20 surgeries, but practice manager Ms Clark took offence at the request stating “As if I’m not going to call every eligible patient I can find, followed by healthcare staff in my patch, followed by other high-risk patients before a company involved in property purchases and corporate acquisitions based in London. I mean really?!”

What’s it like to get the vaccine?